Asthma Surge

One hundred St. Louis children with asthma will learn more about how to manage their chronic disease at a fun-filled, fast-paced event on Saturday, October 26, 2013, from noon to 5 p.m. at Better Family Life’s Cultural, Educational, and Business Center at 5415 Page Avenue, 63112. Andre Hepkins of KMOV News 4 This Morning will be the emcee for the event featuring musician Al Keith with his “Asthma Blues”. Educational games and cartoon videos with asthma control messages will stimulate learning for parents and children. An asthma health assessment and lots of community resources will be provided for each child to identify steps that can be taken by parents and children to improve asthma health.

The project, “Asthma Ready St. Louis Surge” is a collaborative event conceived by the Asthma Ready® Communities (ARC) program of the University of Missouri. ARC is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Missouri Foundation for Health. The St. Louis Integrated Health Network, a key partner for the event, has been working with ARC and community safety net health centers to enhance services to improve asthma health outcomes. According to Bethany Johnson-Javois, CEO of the Integrated Health Network: “Asthma in children is a serious chronic condition that affects too many families in the St. Louis community. The St. Louis Integrated Health Network is proud to be a co-sponsor of this important community event designed to provide tips and resources to keep our kids healthy and out of emergency rooms.”

This past year the Regional Health Commission published, “Decade Review of Health Status for St. Louis City and St. Louis County 2000-2010.” One of the indicators included in that review is “Childhood Asthma.” The report reveals the areas in the City (overall children’s asthma prevalence at 25.9%) and County (overall prevalence of 9.5%) where acute asthma management services-the combined rates of hospitalization and emergency department visits-are the most challenging. The Asthma Ready St. Louis Surge is an effort to help families meet the asthma health challenges and prevent emergency department visits and hospitalizations.

Other partners for this event include the City of St. Louis Department of Health, St. Louis County Department of Health, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America – St. Louis Chapter, and the safety net community health centers.